2024 Streets – An Evening for Youth Empowerment

This year at Streets, we held a panel on LGBTQ+ homelessness. Watch the video below to hear from Pathfinders about the current climate for young people experiencing housing stability as well as what we can do to ensure a safer, more affirming future for Milwaukee’s youth.

Nearly 12,000 young people aged 10-24 experience homelessness each year in Milwaukee, with Black and LGBTQ+ youth most impacted. This experience is highly correlated with lifelong housing instability. Without a safe home, young people can’t prioritize their education, employment or well-being. And they are at enormous risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.

In 2009, Pathfinders created Q-BLOK: a housing program designed with and for LGBTQ+ and allied young adults. This program was one of the first of its kind in the nation. Watch the video below to hear from staff and youth about why finding a place to call home is foundational to all other aspects of safety and growth.

Pathfinders was proud to present the 2024 Trailblazer award to Cream City Foundation, an organization committed to advancing the human rights and respond to the needs of LGBTQ+ people in Southeastern Wisconsin. See video below to learn more about our partnership with the Cream City Foundation.